“I was stunned” – Gary Neville claims he was mesmerised by current Liverpool star
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has been the subject of conversation for club and country this season.
The right-back has been in fine form, starting the new season brilliantly under the leadership of manager Arne Slot.
The arrival of Lee Carsley as the manager of England has worked wonders for Alexander-Arnold, who has started both the matches for the Three Lions during the international break and has been one of their best players.
Carsley has shown faith in Alexander-Arnold, something that was missing during the Gareth Southgate era.
The player is being played in his natural position for England and he is repaying he manager’s faith with impressive performances.
As for Liverpool, the defender has been in the news because of his contract situation and how well he has played in the club’s three Premier League wins this season.
Gary Neville was discussing the English defender with Roy Keane and other guests on Stick to Football.
The football pundit praised the Liverpool star and his knowledge of football.
Neville said:
“I interviewed him for two or three hours last season. Roy, honestly, I was stunned.”
“Honestly no I was mesmerised by, I was mesmerised by the fact that, you know, you have sort of, you look at someone, you think he’s a brilliant player, but then you look at him, I’ve been critical of him defensively, you’ve been critical of him.
“You’ve said he shouldn’t play in midfield. I could not believe how much he knew about football historically in the last 20, 25 years, and how many games he watched and how much into it he was.
“And then maybe I shouldn’t be surprised but I couldn’t believe it. He was asking loads of questions, he was dead inquisitive.”
Liverpool cannot afford to lose Trent Alexander-Arnold
The Liverpool defender has entered the final year of his contract at the club and the Reds management should sort that out soon.
The player will be able to indulge in talks with potential future clubs in January and the Reds would want to avoid that situation.
Alexander-Arnold is one of Liverpool’s and England’s best players at the moment and he has shown that if he is played in the right position and given the chance to perform, he can produce amazing results.
Southgate benched the defender at Euro 2024 and that might be one of his biggest mistakes as the Three Lions boss.
The Liverpool star’s contribution in attack and his passing range are difficult to find in full-backs these days.
He is a creative defender who can score goals, create them, make something out of nothing from set piece situations while also helping the team in defense.